Warning: Spoiler Alert!
The Fox animated series “Family Guy” shocked fans last night when the family’s talking, sarcastic dog, Brian, was hit by a car and killed. The episode, called “Life of Brian,” has already inspired the hashtag #BringBackBrian.
In an interview with E! Online, “Family Guy” executive producer Steve Callaghan explained the decision.“It seemed more in the realm of a reality that a dog would get hit by a car. As much as we love Brian, and as much as everyone loves their pets, we felt it would be more traumatic to lose one of the kids, rather than the family pet.”
To help Stewie recover from the death of Brian, his family adopted another dog, Vinny, whose voice is provided by Tony Sirico, so memorable as Paulie Walnuts on “The Sopranos.”
“Vinny is a good match for Stewie because he doesn’t let Stewie get away with any crap,” Callaghan says. “He’ll call Stewie out on his b.s. freely.”